Staring
by Asanisan
Summary: He's just trying to get some sleep, but she keeps staring at him. HieiBotan Oneshot


**Staring**

She had been doing it for an hour. In that hour, she hadn't moved. She hadn't said a word. She hadn't even breathed, which he guessed was proof she was dead. She hadn't done anything really. The one thing she had done was quite simply stare at him. Yes, she just sat on that god-forsaken oar of hers, not moving an inch, and had stared at him. For an hour. It was starting to tick him off.

"Baka onna," he said lazily, never lifting an eye. "Why are you staring at me?"

She didn't stop staring at him, the deep intensity of those pink eyes never once losing focus. She did however open her mouth to speak for the first time since finding him in his favorite tree taking a nap.

"Cause I know if I do it long enough, you'll eventually get up," she said in a serious voice that rang with certainty.

It was really amazing how she could stare at him for an hour. Even now, she didn't blink. Her eyes weren't tearing up from the lack of eye movement. She showed no signs of stiffness after spending an hour in the same position. Her voice showed no hoarseness from probably the longest silence it had ever encountered. She really was something else.

She still wasn't talking, but she was still staring. He could feel her piercing gaze make the hairs on the back of his neck prickle from just the sheer amount of attention she bathed him in.

"Onna, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Go away."

He didn't bother to open an eye. He was calmly relaxed on his favorite tree, laying down and enjoying the warmth of the sun filtering through the leaves. There was no way he was going to leave this peace just because she was staring at him.

"We have a mission, Hiei," she said, never dropping her stare.

"I don't work for Reikai anymore, baka onna."

"It's a joint effort with Makai hierarchy. Mukuro-sama nominated you. Now, get up. We have a mission."

He cracked an eye open at the news. He was met with the determined eyes of Botan. He shut his eye again and got more comfortable on the tree.

"I don't work for Mukuro, either."

"Don't lie to me, Hiei. You're just being lazy. Aren't hi youkai supposed to be full of energy or something?"

"Half Koorime," he reminded her.

"Well all the Koorime I know have no problems getting up in the morning and it's almost midday now. I think you've slept enough!"

He sighed. Yes, she was still staring at him.

"Hn. Go away, onna."

"No."

"Then stop staring at me."

"No."

He growled, but he still refused to open his eyes. That would be admitting defeat in his mind.

"Why do keep staring at me?!" he yelled in frustration.

"Because you're pretty," she said in a serious tone.

He cracked his eye open again. Her intense gaze didn't waver, but he could see the humor in her eyes. He let his eyelid drop and sighed. He would just have to learn to sleep with her staring at him.

But it was rather difficult. He had no idea why it bothered, why it made his stomach flutter as if he had swallowed a butterfly or maybe a moth. He had no idea why his skin heated up so under her pink-eyed stare. All he knew was that it was damn uncomfortable.

"Stop staring, onna!"

"No."

Damn, he missed the days when she was afraid of him, when she used to listen to his threats and do exactly what he said. Now, she just smiled indulgently at his threats and blatantly refused to do his bidding. And what could he do to stop her? It wasn't like he could kill her. There were too many powerful people that liked her. He couldn't simply hurt her. He didn't think he would be able to stop until he killed her.

If he were honest with himself, he would tell himself that it was a lie. He would never hurt her because she was his friend. A friend who knew all the right (or wrong in his opinion) buttons to push, but a friend nonetheless. He knew she considered him her friend, but couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

Theirs was an odd relationship. He tried his best to push her away and she held on as tightly as she could. He insulted her and she laughed at it. He laughed at her misfortune and she laughed with him. He yelled at her when she cried and she stopped crying. He told her she looked stupid and she changed her look. He complained that she talked too much and she agreed and kept talking anyway (just when he thought he had her pinned down). He told her he would cut out her tongue if she kept on talking and she stuck it out at him (just when he thought he had some power over her). He really couldn't understand her. Not one bit.

She wasn't a fighter. He could understand a fighter. No, she was a healer. He couldn't understand a healer. And even though she was a healer, she liked to go out of the battlefield as if she were a fighter. Somehow or other, she always ended up in danger. That was when the butterflies in his stomach would turn into dragons. She was still his friend after all, even if she was stupid enough to stick her neck out for everyone. Yes, theirs was definitely an odd relationship.

And god damn it, she was still staring at him!

"Onna, I swear if you don't stop staring, I'll…"

"Please, Hiei," she pleaded in a way that sounded like she was pouting.

He opened one eye at the change in tone and was meet with two large, round, dewy pink eyes and a cat grin. It was her version of the so called "puppy-dog pout."

He growled and got up from his nice, comfortable place on his favorite tree.

"Fine," he said as he sat behind her on the oar, holding her waist so as not fall off. "As long as you never make that disgusting face ever again."

"Okay," she agreed as they took off.

Her hair slapped him in the face and got into his mouth until he managed to grasp her ponytail in his hand. The other hand wrapped around her waist for safety. She didn't notice any of it. She only laughed in delight as she increased their flying speed, headed for god only knew where.

Why was it that the butterflies were still fluttering around in his stomach when she wasn't staring at him?

Damn stupid butterflies.


End file.
